Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1954)

MOTION PICTURE DAILY VOL. 76. NO. 10 NEW YORK, U. S, A., THURSDAY, JULY 15, 1954 TEN CENTS New York City 5%TaxValidity Hearing Today City to Answer Judge's 'Show-Cause' Order Industry eyes will be on the proceedings in Supreme Court in Queens this morning as city attorneys will attempt to prove the validity of the New York City, five per cent amusement tax. They must answer a "show cause" order signed last week by Supreme Court Justice Nicholas M. Pette after five Queens theatres filed a suit against the City of New York, the Mayor, the Comptroller and the Treasurer. Edward C. Raftery is the attorney for the plaintiffs and assistant corporation counsel Stanley Bucksbaum will present the city's arguments. The hearing is scheduled to begin in Supreme Court, Queens County, Special Term, part one, at 10 :00 A.M. A Raftery spokesman said yesterday that the hearing "shouldn't last over an hour." The proceedings will be open to the public. City attorneys will attempt to show cause why the law is not in violation {Continued on page 3) Arbitration Draft To Start Next Week The industry's arbitration subcommittee, following preliminary conferences, may start drafting the provisions for the proposed system next week. The group met yesterday to discuss the project, exploring the various problems and clarifying certain points so that work on the draft can start as soon as possible. The committee has scheduled its next meet for next Monday. House, Senators in Agreement on Tax WASHINGTON, July 14.— HouseSenate tax conferees reached agreement on rules to permit exhibitors and other businessmen to write off more of the cost of new investments in equipment and buildings during the early years of the property's life. The House-passed technical tax bill authorized use of the so-called declining balance method of depreciation, under which about two-thirds of the cost of an asset could be deducted for tax purposes in the first half of its life, compared to half the cost at present. The Senate version accepted this method but added several other alternative methods of rapid depreciation. The conferees, who (Continued on page 3) Business Survey Grosses Spotty in D.C. Area^ But Upswing Seen By J. A. OTTEN WASHINGTON, July 14.— Exhibitors in and around the national's capital give an uneven picture of recent theatre business. In the first of a series of territorial business surveys by Motion Picture Daily correspondents, it was found that some exhibitors in this area Sheriff Recommends Drive-in Censorship CHICAGO, July 14.— Cook County Sheriff John E. Babb has announced that he is recommending to the county board that it try to establish a censorship board to govern the exhibition of films in drive-in theatres in the unincorporated areas of the county. The action came as a result of protests over the showing showing of protests over the showing of RKO Pictures' controversial "The French Line" which opened last week at two (Continued on page 3) report a recent pickup, others report good business all year, others report continued bad business. The most common reaction is an old industry axiom : good business with good pictures, bad business with bad pictures. Orville Crouch, Loew's eastern district manager, said over-all business is running about the same as a year ago. "On the big pictures, business continues to be very good," he declared, "but on the smaller pictures it's unbelievably bad, horrible. There's just no middle ground." He listed "Men of the Fighting Lady," "Apache," "Executive Suite," "Student Prince," "Three Coins in a Fountain" and "Garden of Evil" as (Continued on page 3) 2.2 to 1 Ratio Maximum Height to ^Scope Screen by New WB Device Report Allied Seeks Early Tolicy' Meet ^ Complaints of Allied States Association in regard to rental policies and clearances may be laid in the laps of distribution heads during the week of July 26. It is reported that a delegation of Allied leaders will come to New York during that week for the conferences, with the intention of meeting with the company presidents as well as with the top sales executives. Abram F. Myers, Allied general counsel, in a bulletin on Tuesday, said he could not predict "how long Allied would continue its belief that there should be no government regulation of the industry." It is understood that the planned sessions with the company heads might determine Allied's position in regard to seeking such regulation or some other drastic action. There were unconfirmed reports that Allied had dispatched letters to all distribution presidents, asking for a meeting during the last week in July. Presidents who were contacted, however, said they had not received such a letter, but stated that they had received Myers' bulletin which was tagged "An Appeal to Reason." IPA, TOA Officials In Pre-Conclave TalJc Ofliicials of the International Popcorn Association and the Theatre Owners of America will confer at the TOA headquarters today to plan a combined theatre concessions forum for the 1954 TOA convention and TESMA-TEDA-TOA-IPA trade show, Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago. Attending the conference will be J. J. Fitzgibbons, Jr., president of I PA; Thomas J. Sullivan, executive secretary and general counsel of IPA ; Nathan Buchman of American Theatres, Boston, and Bert Nathan of Theatre Popcorn Vending Corp., Brooklyn, N. Y., first vice president of IPA, co-chairmen of TOA Concessions Committee ; Herman M. Levy, TOA general counsel ; Howard L. Byrant and Dick Pitts of the TOA staff. Participating in the combined forum will be the nation's leading theatre concessions manufacturers and suppliers ; theatre concessions managers and purchasing agents. BURBANK, July 14. — CinemaScope pictures may now be projected to the maximum height as well as maximum width of the theatre stage through the installation of a simple new aperture device perfected by Warner Brothers and now available to theatres as standard equipment, it was announced today by Jack L. Warner. The aperture device is adaptable to any size theatre and any size screen and allows the exhibitor to obtain the largest image possible in his auditorium, in both height and width, Warner said. "With this device," said Warner, "the screen will have no more unused space. Every foot will be utilized for the picture." Developed in Warner Brothers' research department, the aperture attachment was put into operation for the first time for the world premiere showing of "King Richard and the Crusaders" at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The screen image of the CinemaScope and WarnerColor film, starring Rex Harrison, Virginia Mayo, George Sanders and Laurence Harvey, was increased in height from 16 feet to 19 feet, the maximum pro(Continued on page 3) Flick Again Urges Censor Law Re-study ALBANY, July 14.— Need for restudy of the 31 -year-old state censorship law was coupled with emphasis on this survey as it could affect the current "diet of violence," in an address by Dr. Hugh M. Flick, director of the Motion Picture Division in the State Education Division at the weekly luncheon of the Albany Rotary Club. Dr. Flick said that violence seems (Continued on page 3) Broidy to Produce 4 Films for AA Release HOLLYWOOD, July 14.— William F. Broidy will produce four pictures for Allied Artists distribution during the remainder of 1954 under terms which were finalized today with Walter Mirisch. The contract additionally includes an option whereby Allied may release four more Broidy films within the next calendar year.